8 things to know before visiting Libya

Nick Redmayne, for CNN

Updated 2217 GMT (0617 HKT) March 25, 2015

Things to know before visiting Libya8 photos

Libya is full of Greco-Roman heritage – The ruins of Cyrene reflect enduring Greek influences on language and architecture in Libya; its Temple of Zeus is larger than the Parthenon in Athens. The site is about 120 miles (nearly 200 kilometers) east of Benghazi.

Hide Caption

1 of 8

Things to know before visiting Libya8 photos

Gas is cheap – Libyan oil production has returned to prerevolution levels. Filling the tank of an average car costs around six dinars ($4.76), while a liter bottle of water from a cafe is one dinar (about 80 cents).

Hide Caption

2 of 8

Things to know before visiting Libya8 photos

Tea but not necessarily teetotalism – Libyans drink coffee and tea during social gatherings. Alcohol is banned in the country, but it's an open secret that cars of young men parked in out of the way places are often de facto drinking dens.

Hide Caption

3 of 8

Things to know before visiting Libya8 photos

It's not all sand – Jebel Akhdar -- or Green Mountain -- is a day-trip from Benghazi and a good reminder that Libya's not just desert.

Hide Caption

4 of 8

Things to know before visiting Libya8 photos

Road travel exciting but hazardous – Car rental companies are building a presence in Libya, but finding someone else to do the hard work of fighting traffic, sandstorms and camels will make for a more relaxing trip.

Hide Caption

5 of 8

Things to know before visiting Libya8 photos

Money issues – During the revolution, rebels forged one dinar notes showing Moammar Gadhafi in a contemplative pose, bottom, replacing his image with that of Omar Mukhtar, top, leader of the Libyan resistance to Italy in the early 20th century. Now new notes have been issued.

Hide Caption

6 of 8

Things to know before visiting Libya8 photos

Omar Mukhtar a dominant figure – Gaddafi imagery has been replaced by that of an elderly man in white robes -- Omar Mukhtar, seen here on a flag. Mukhtar was a nationalist hero whose fighters resisted Italian colonialists in Libya for nearly 20 years.

Hide Caption

7 of 8

Things to know before visiting Libya8 photos

Mukhtar's memory inspired revolutionaries – Italian forces captured and executed Mukhtar in 1931, but he has remained an inspiration to many Libyans. In 2011, his battle cry of "We will win or we will die" was heard once more as the revolution unfolded.

Hide Caption

8 of 8

Story highlights

Libya is two and a half times bigger than Texas and 90% desert

Alcohol is banned, but there's smuggled booze and bokha, distilled from dates, figs

Gasoline is cheaper than water in this oil rich but extremely dry Sahara nation

(CNN)Following Libya's revolution, oil production has been restored and the country has slipped from the front pages.

Once more, Libya has become North African rather than southern Mediterranean, and news dispatches surface only when Western government's worst fears appear close to being realized.

As most Libyans admit that after four-plus decades of Moammar Gadhafi, it will take time to build a mature democracy. Yet Libyans remain hopeful that progress is being made.

For travelers, this means a renewed opportunity to explore one of Africa's most interesting states.

1.It's vast and empty

At 679,362 square miles, Libya is second in size only to neighboring Algeria among North African countries. It's two and a half times bigger than Texas, almost 85 times the size of Wales and 90% desert.

Click to expand

EXPAND IMAGE

Photos: Another side of Libya 13 photos

Photos: Another side of Libya13 photos

Another side of Libya – A man sits on a bench next to an artificial lake between the waterfront and Tripoli's iconic Martyrs' Square, formerly Green Square, on October 5, 2011.

Hide Caption

1 of 13

Photos: Another side of Libya13 photos

Another side of Libya – A man inspects his fishing net in the port of Tripoli on November 3.

Hide Caption

2 of 13

Photos: Another side of Libya13 photos

Another side of Libya – Muslims in Benghazi pray on November 6, 2011, the first day of Eid al-Adha, marking the end of the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

Hide Caption

3 of 13

Photos: Another side of Libya13 photos

Another side of Libya – People ride motorcycles during the inauguration of the Libyan Motorcycles Association, the first of its kind for youth entertainment, in Benghazi on September 17.

Hide Caption

4 of 13

Photos: Another side of Libya13 photos

Another side of Libya – Children walk past a stall at the Rashid Street market in the center of Tripoli on August 29, 2011.

Hide Caption

5 of 13

Photos: Another side of Libya13 photos

Another side of Libya – A young man jumps into the waters of the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Tripoli on April 30, 2012.

Hide Caption

6 of 13

Photos: Another side of Libya13 photos

Another side of Libya – A vendor sells potatoes at the Rashid Street market in Tripoli on August 29, 2011.

Hide Caption

7 of 13

Photos: Another side of Libya13 photos

Another side of Libya – A man relaxes in the vapor room of the Darguth Turkish bath in Tripoli on October 6, 2011.

Hide Caption

8 of 13

Photos: Another side of Libya13 photos

Another side of Libya – Children climb the crumbling walls of a castle in the central western town of Brak on March 15.

Hide Caption

9 of 13

Photos: Another side of Libya13 photos

Another side of Libya – A woman walks past graffiti in downtown Tripoli on October 24, 2011.

Hide Caption

10 of 13

Photos: Another side of Libya13 photos

Another side of Libya – Mahamade Alsharif stands outside a house in Brak on March 15.

Hide Caption

11 of 13

Photos: Another side of Libya13 photos

Another side of Libya – A man relaxes on the patio outside a mosque in Tripoli on October 26, 2011.

Hide Caption

12 of 13

Photos: Another side of Libya13 photos

Another side of Libya – A security worker walks by an oil drill on March 23 at the al-Ghani oil field, owned by the Harouge Oil Operations company, near the city of Waddan.

By car, the 600-mile journey along the coast between Tripoli and Libya's second city, Benghazi, takes around 12 hours.

Heading south from Tripoli to the ancient Berber trading town of Ghadames is an eight or nine hour slog, while the Ubari Lakes in the southern desert region of Fezzan lie some 13 hours from Tripoli.

As well as recalcitrant camels, encroaching dunes, sand storms and wildly unpredictable driving conditions and drivers, the insecurity of postrevolutionary Libya demands travelers' full attention before any overland journey.

The revolution saw the collapse of many commercial bus services, though these were off-limits to foreigners anyway. Car rental companies such as Sixt (www.sixt.com) and Hertz (www.hertz.co.uk) are building a Libyan presence, though locations are limited and unless you're used to what might be called "ebullient" traffic, you may want to take a back seat.

Stifling Gadhafi-era group travel restrictions no longer exist, but for tourists with limited time, complicated land explorations are best made through tour operators utilizing their vehicles and drivers.

3. There's no drinking (except there is)

The "Free Officers" of Gadhafi's 1969 coup d'etat banned alcohol, and there's no chance of change.

Despite public conservatism, however, Libyans close to a suitable land border are no strangers to losing themselves in a foreign bar, and regular cross-border traffic means lots of illicit alcohol enters the country from Egypt and Tunisia.

It's an open secret that cars of young men parked in out-of-the-way places are often de facto drinking dens.

As well as smuggled booze, a drink known as bokha, distilled from dates, figs or grapes, is widely consumed.

Unfortunately, some misguided producers add methanol to increase potency. In March 2013, a batch of bad bokha claimed 52 lives in Tripoli -- one reason to stay on the straight and narrow and stick to sweet tea and strong coffee.

4.The ATMs don't work

Forged notes subbing Moammar Gadhafi's image (bottom) with that of Omar Mukhtar have now been replaced with legitimate new one-dinar notes.

Plastic cards cannot be relied upon, either to pay bills or get money from ATMs or banks.

Functioning ATMs can be counted on one hand, and credit card payments for goods and services are almost unknown outside Tripoli.

As a result it's not uncommon to see large, tightly bound bricks of dinars exchanged as a matter of course.

Those accustomed to cashless card-driven lifestyles may feel uncomfortable when carrying large quantities of banknotes.

Despite recent high-profile outrages perpetrated by militias, religious ideologues or both, crimes against individuals such as muggings and thefts are rare. And in commerce, Libyans are straightforward and honest to a fault.

5. Gas is cheaper than water

Filling the tank of an average car costs around six dinars ($4.76), while a liter bottle of water from a cafe costs one dinar ($0.80).

Libyan oil production has returned to prerevolution levels of 1.6 million barrels a day. The country's known reserves are the largest in Africa and fourth-largest in the world -- sufficient for 85 years at the present output.

It's a constant refrain among the postrevolutionary populace, however, that "Libya is a rich country but the people are poor."

Walking around the neglected, crumbling streets of Benghazi, a city that has seen little investment since World War II, one can only wonder where the oil revenues were spent.

Economic prospects for Libya may about to improve. The World Bank estimates 16% to 18% growth in GDP for 2013, the International Monetary Fund suggests nearer 20%.

6.It's not all sand

Jebel Akhdar (Green Mountain) is an achievable day trip from Benghazi, a good reminder that Libya isn't just desert.

Jebel Akhdar (Green Mountain) is an achievable day-trip from Benghazi, a good reminder that Libya isn't all desert. Quite literally, the trip provides a breath of fresh air.

Italian colonial farmhouses, under new management, are still visible, as are abandoned railway stations (trains have long since ceased operations).

7. Omar Mukhtar has replaced Gadhafi as a symbol

Before the revolution, Moammar Gadhafi portrait was everywhere in Libya. Without turning your head, it was easy to reach double figures when counting reproductions of his all-seeing image.

Now they're gone, often replaced by images of an elderly man in white robes -- Omar Mukhtar.

Who is he?

Beginning in 1912 and lasting for almost 20 years, Italian imperial designs on Libya were resisted by a determined local insurgency led by Mukhtar. His bands of fighters utilized guerrilla tactics and superior knowledge of the terrain to ambush Italian columns.

Opposition was quelled only when a 73-year-old Mukhtar was captured and executed by Italian armed forces in 1931.

Despite attempting to co-opt Mukhtar's legacy as a nationalist hero, Gadhafi ultimately felt threatened by the sheikh and had his body removed from its tomb in the center of Benghazi to an out-of-the-way rural town about 37 miles away.

Gadhafi was right to be worried. Omar Mukhtar remained an inspiration to modern revolutionaries, and in 2011, his battle cry of "We will win or we will die" was heard once more.

8. It's filled with Greco-Roman heritage

Eighty miles east of Tripoli, Leptis Magna was the hometown of Roman Emperor Septimus Severus. Even those prone to chronic attacks of temple fatigue can't fail to be wowed by the grandeur of its ruins.

The site is vast and well-preserved, though to date only one third has been excavated. The almost complete amphitheater and circus outside the main city are made all the more intriguing by virtue of their relative neglect.

Some 40 miles east of Tripoli, Sabratha's remains have been restored. While only a quarter of the site has been excavated, mosaics thus far uncovered rival those found in Rome.

And 120 miles east of Benghazi, the ruins of Cyrene reflect enduring Greek influences of language and architecture; the city's Temple of Zeus is larger than the Parthenon in Athens.

Anywhere else, all three sites would be honeypot tourist destinations, but these days it's possible you'll have them to yourself.

Leptis Magna and Sabratha are easy day trips from Tripoli; Cyrene is reached from Benghazi and with an early start can also be visited in a day. Because of poor security, travel eastward to Derna isn't recommended.

Though it's easy to visit sites independently, a knowledgeable guide can bring the ruins to life. Temehu (www.temehu.com) can organize excursions in advance.